1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthopedic tools, and, more particularly, to orthopedic tools for altering the connection between orthopedic components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modular prostheses are commonly utilized to repair and replace damaged bone and tissue in the human body. For example, a knee prosthesis may be implanted to replace damaged or destroyed bone in the femur and/or tibia and recreate the natural, anatomical articulation of the knee joint. In modular prostheses, several individual, distinct components are connected together to form the final, implanted prosthesis. The connection between the individual, distinct components may be formed in any number of ways. For example, a first orthopedic component may include a counter bore configured to receive the head of a bolt and a second orthopedic component may include a threaded bore configured to receive the threaded shaft of the bolt. Alternatively, the first orthopedic component may have a female tapered cavity formed therein and the second orthopedic component may have a male tapered projection extending therefrom, which is configured to lockingly mate with the female tapered cavity of the first orthopedic component.
In addition to assembling individual, distinct components together to form a final, implanted prosthesis, modular systems often include different interchangeable components, e.g., several tibia plates having different characteristics, one of which is selected to be used in the final, implanted prosthesis. For example, the different tibia plates may have different thicknesses and/or orientations. This provides the surgeon greater flexible to assemble a prosthesis that more closely approximates the patient's anatomy. After the final prosthesis is assembled, and either before or after implantation, it may be necessary to replace one or more of the components to change the characteristics of the final prosthesis. Thus, it becomes necessary to separate the connection between the various orthopedic components of the modular prosthesis. If the prosthesis has been implanted, it may be advantageous to leave the orthopedic components that are not being replaced in their implanted positions. For example, during a revision surgery to replace the head of a proximal femoral prosthesis, the surgeon may leave the femoral stem implanted within the intramedullary canal of the femur, while removing and replacing the femoral head. If the components are connected via a bolt, for example, unthreading and removing the bolt may be relatively simple. However, when the components are connected via a male/female taper arrangement, it is necessary to impart a significant force to the junction between the orthopedic components to unseat the taper. Similarly, a significant force may also be required to seat the orthopedic components together.